Seeley Lake, Ovando, Helmville and Lincoln, MT have "something"
in common. This "something" walks on four legs and has
silver-tipped hairs. These four mountain towns are adjacent to
a large tract of wild country occupied by an expanding grizzly
bear populationand in the last two years these grizzlies are spending
more time "south of the border."

Lincoln and Seeley Lake already have a history of black bears
coming into town for food rewards. Montana Fish, Wildlife and
Parks (FWP) game wardens and biologists respond to the same complaints
every year. A black bear is eating grass on my front lawn. A black
bear tore down my bird feeder. A black bear is in my garbage.

FWP responds by reminding landowners of the fact that this
is wild country. Take your bird feeders down. Don't feed deer.
And don't leave garbage and dog food outside. These sorts of things
lure in black bears and other wildlife. "You can't blame
the bearsit's like free money." By eliminating food rewards
landowners can keep bears from developing bad habits.

In any event, five to ten black bears annually get unintentionally
trained to seek out unnatural food sources in these towns and
they become overly comfortable around humans. When a bear's behavior
becomes "extreme" FWP has no choicetraps are set and
black bears are relocated and sometimes destroyed. Most bear problems,
however, can be avoided if residents simply "bear-proof"
their property.

Now, as many residents already know, a new species of bear
has come to town. And all to often this bear's fate is the same
as the black bear's!

This summer, in Seeley Lake, a young female grizzly ventured
into town in broad daylight and began feeding on garbage, dog
food, green grass and "deer blocks." She was tranquilized
and relocated to the South Fork of the Flathead River. She continued
to exhibit food-conditioned behavior and was captured and shipped
to a scientific lab in Washington.

Last spring, in Lincoln, a young male grizzly was destroyed
after he took up residence in town. Life was pretty good because
Lincoln supplied the young male with plenty of food. He ate garbage,
green grass, apples and plums, pet food, birdseed, honey and bees,
road-killed deer, cow and horse carcasses and several domestic
calves.

Grizzly bears have always been present in the Blackfoot Valley.
There are an abundance of natural bear foods in the lower portions
of this valley. In spring, summer and fall grizzlies venture into
the river bottoms to feed on green vegetation, insects, elk and
deer calves, livestock carrion, road-killed big game, choke cherries,
service berries, snow berries, rose hips and hawthorn berries.

Certain areas in the Blackfoot are extremely attractive to
grizzly bears. The Blackfoot-Clearwater Wildlife Management Area
(WMA), the Aunt Molly WMA, the Monture Creek Swamps and the river
bottom complex between Sperry Grade and Lincoln are good places
to find grizzly bear tracks and sign.

In fact, because of these natural food sources, residents in
the upper Blackfoot Drainage can expect to see more grizzly bear
activity in upcoming years. This river system drains the southern
slopes of the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex, an area that is
also known as the southern end of the Northern Continental Divide
Ecosystem (NCDE). The NCDE is an extremely wild and intact area
that has long been a sanctuary for a variety of wildlife, including
grizzlies.

Since 1975 the grizzly has been federally managed as a threatened
species under the Threatened and Endangered Species Act. In the
last 25 years, grizzlies have slowly recovered and the population
in and around the Blackfoot Valley is expanding. Now, like black
bears, grizzly bears can be tempted to enter residential areas
for unnatural foods.

Most of the time the story goes like this: Under the cover
of darkness a family group of grizzlies travels across a valley.
The mother knows the area but it has changed dramatically. There
are new houses everywhere. She takes the cubs along her normal
route. The brush has been removed between two new home sites and
the female has to skirt the edge of the property. Her babies eat
some of the lush green grass. The male cub investigates a bird
feeder and the female cub eats a bowl of dog food. The Mother
calls to her young and they continue their journey, remembering
that these home sites are good areas to find food treats.

As this story becomes more and more common, with humans and
bears living in the same country, towns like Seeley Lake and Lincoln
will continue to have problems with their bear attractants. Until
these attractants are removed or "bear proofed" black
bears and grizzly bears will be unintentionally encouraged to
eat unnatural foods and become more and more tolerant of human
activity.

If you are interested in teaching bears "to keep away
and not come and stay" please contact FWP Wildlife Technician
James Jason Jonkel at 406-542-5508. I can give you information
and advice on how to "bear proof" your residence or
business and prevent future bear problems.

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